1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of paper and plastic cutting apparatus and devices and more particularly to devices for cutting or opening the wrapper on a roll of coins.
2. Background
People working in institutions such as banks, casinos, and retail stores that handle wrapped coin rolls in large volumes often have problems opening the rolls in an orderly fashion. Some solve the problem by cracking the roll against the edge of a solid object several times until the wrapper breaks or opens. However, this may often cause all the coins inside to spill out. Others may use a knife to attempt to cut the roll open, but this may nick or dull the knife and may also be awkward for some. In addition, if the cutting is done inexpertly, the coins can still spill out when the person attempts to remove them.
Still others may attempt to open the wrapped rolls by tearing at them with fingernails or jagged objects. All of these approaches can lead to spilled coins and wasted time. If the person attempting to open the roll is an employee of the institution, this is ultimately an added burden on payroll expense. If the person attempting to open the coin roll is a customer, such as a casino customer at a slot machine, for example, this can lead to lost revenues, since the time spent opening the roll and picking up any spills could be better spent in using the coins in the machine.
One attempt to solve this problem is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,196 to Smithline, issued Aug. 15, 1978. There, a cutting device is shown that mounts a razor blade inside a body that permits a coin roll to be inserted inward against movable protective flaps or flanges and placed longitudinally so that the razor blade can be pressed down directly along the longitudinal outside wrapper of the coin roll. Razor blades or other cutting edges used in such a way tend to dull quickly as a result of the pressure ordinarily brought to bear to force the blade to cut. The pressure needed usually means that the sharp edge of the blade will be pushed directly through the wrapper and into the metal coins inside each time the device is used.
Other approaches using razor blades (U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,122 to Black, issued Jun. 6, 1972, U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,234 to Smith et al., issued Jun. 8, 1982 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,781,987 to Gentscheff, issued Jan. 1, 1974)) or straight edge blades (U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,183 to Cassier, issued Aug. 9, 1977, U.S. Pat. No. 4,086,698 to Sparks, issued May 2, 1978, U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,537 to Stevenson, Jr. issued May 30, 1978, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,965,575 to Stunger, issued Jun. 29, 1976) have similar problems. Straight edges aligned parallel to the coin roll, such as those of razor blades or straight edge blades used to cut through the wrapper by the application of force or pressure tend to quickly dull and need replacement. Some of these devices are complicated in structure, such as Gentscheff. Still others may have exposed cutting surfaces, such as Cassier.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,746 to Bromley, issued Aug. 2, 1977, discloses a keylike device that has a prong shaped to extend over the rim of a wrapped coin roll, so that the user can twist and rock the keylike device to tear the wrapper open. While this device has no cutting surface or blade, it would appear to require a force that many prospective users may be unable to apply.
It is an object of this invention to provide a coin wrapper opening device that is simple to use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a coin wrapper opening device that is less likely to dull a cutting edge quickly.
Still another object of the present invention is providing a coin wrapper opening device that provides protection for the user's hands and fingers.